


Scary

by GenuineSnoof



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Cerebro, Gen, Poor Charles, Protective Erik, Relationship Discussions, scary Charles, things aren't easy but they do love each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-16 02:35:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10561962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GenuineSnoof/pseuds/GenuineSnoof
Summary: Charles isn't the self-sacrificing idiot Erik takes him for. He has a cause of his own, whether Erik likes it or not. They have a serious talk. One-shot.





	

"You want to come for a ru... Are you all right?" Erik frowned, when Charles quickly finished wiping blood off his face and smiled.

"It's nothing, small nosebleed. Yes, I'd love to come for a run, give me a minute to change." He put Cerebro's helmet on its place.

"Why did you have a nosebleed?" Erik asked, unconsciously folding his arms in front of his chest. Charles had only been in Cerebro an hour and a half. Raven, Hank and Erik had recently had a stern talk with him about getting out of it before he made himself collapse into a whimpering heap on the floor – as he'd done one too many times in the past.

"It was an exhausting session," Charles replied matter-of-factly. "No big deal."

Erik reached for the print-out Cerebro had spat out with two new mutants' locations. "Sydney," he read. "Quite a trip if we want to recruit them."

"I already did," Charles said proudly. "Well, one of them, Hakeem. I told him all about us and he was very interested. I told him I'd wire him the money for a plane ticket. I expect him to be here by next week."

"You had a full conversation with him?"

"Not only that. He showed me his gift, it's extraordinary. You'll like him, he's a very serious young man," Charles said with a smile.

Erik studied him, took in how exhausted and pale he looked. "What about the other one?" He looked at the print-out. "Shirley Desmond."

Charles' expression darkened. "She won't be joining us," he said, reaching for his knitted jacket he'd hung over the railing. "I'll send her money so she can move away from her husband, though."

"What's her power?" Erik asked.

"Empathy. It makes life rather difficult for her, I'm afraid. I tried to convince her to come to us, promised her we could train her to gain more control of it, to keep her from feeling constantly..." Charles frowned, searching for the right word, "overwhelmed. But she doesn't want to come. She's very troubled."

"What about her husband?" Erik asked. 

"He doesn't support her at all," Charles said sadly. He put on his jacket and hugged himself. "She let me see some of her memories." He shook his head. "Poor woman. I wish I could've just made her fly out here, but..." He shrugged. "Maybe I should have."

"It's her decision. You already gave yourself a nosebleed talking to her for an hour."

Charles looked up from where he was buttoning his jacket. "It wasn't her, it's the range I struggle with."

"I figured."

"Are you mad at me?" Charles asked indignantly. "I recruited a new team member."

"There's enough mutants nearby we could recruit," Erik said.

Charles' smile faded into a stern look and he put his hands in his pockets. "It was my impression we're not just doing this in order to get the biggest possible mutant army, but also to help people cope with being different. Offering them a safe heaven."

Erik narrowed his eyes, tilting his head ever so slightly. "You've done this before, haven't you?"

"What? Talked to people at the other side of the world? Yes."

"And people who didn't want to be recruited. Maybe people who're not even mutants."

Charles snorted; it came out as a humorless, angry noise. "Don't make it sound like a spy novel, Erik. Occasionally, when someone needs assistance and I stumble across them, I provide it."

"That's not what Cerebro is for."

"I beg to differ."

"Your job is to find mutants ready to join us in our cause."

Erik almost backed away at Charles' sudden ice-cold look. "I don't have a job," Charles said. "I'm rich. As for YOUR cause, I have found a whole team of mutants and another one is at this very moment buying a plane ticket to join us."

Erik pressed his lips together, fighting down a sudden wave of fear. He wasn't surprised Charles could be frightening, he just hated being afraid of anyone. "Charles," he said softly.

"No, I know what you meant," Charles said angrily. "Without reading your mind," he added. "But you're wrong. THIS is my training. I'm getting better at using Cerebro, the side effects lessen and my range widens. THAT is "my job". Using this machine to its utmost effect. You train so you can maximise your gifts' potential in a fight. You know how I feel about that, and now I know how you feel about me training so I can use my privilidge and power to help those less fortunate than me."

"You should know better than trying to insult me," Erik said, his heart racing with hurt.

Charles shrugged. "I can make you forget this whole conversation," he said matter-of-factly. "If I say anything I regret later, I'll just wipe your mind. That's what you want me to be able to do in a fight, isn't it? Well, here we're having one."

Erik stared at him. It was impossible to think of those exact same eyes looking up at them when they made love. He swallowed, unconsciously digging his fingers into his own sides in a tightening self-hug. 

"I'm just concerned," he said eventually, when he saw the regret sinking in on Charles's expression. 

"Oh, don't be," Charles said, bowing his head. "Clearly I don't deserve it. I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that."

He had, but Erik didn't bother to say so. 

"I can't not help them," Charles said after a moment's pause. "Not when I... can. You see? I'm powerful enough to help and I can't not."

"It's harming you," Erik pointed out.

"Don't be so dramatic. It gives me a headache."

"And nosebleeds."

"You had one when you first made yourself fly," Charles said. "It just happens during training."

Erik hesitated, then averted his eyes and blurted out, "It's scarier because it's your mind. You phase out sometimes and can't seperate."

"Yes, thanks for reminding me of that one time-"

"Three times."

"Yes, but that's what practise is for," Charles said stubbornly. "So we can use our gifts the way we think it best. I won't stop helping people like Shirley just because..." He trailed off, apparantly not sure what the reason would even be. "I appreciate your concern."

Erik huffed. "I'm not concerned cause you appreciate it," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I feel more for you than just what we do in the bedroom," he said, not looking at Charles. "I haven't felt protective of anyone in a very long time and you're scaring the shit out of me." He looked up. "And you make me say these things, admit being concerned, admt that I might love you, and I hate it. I want to hate you for doing this to me."

Charles stared at him, eyes impossibly wide.

"What, you didn't already know that?"

"You asked me to stay out of your head..." At Erik's smirk, Charles blushed. "Outside the bedroom. I respect that, I... had no idea. I feel the same way," he quickly added.

"That makes it worse."

"I can see why it would," Charles said softly.

"You have no idea how hard it is to trust you."

"I have an idea," Charles said, bravely trying to not look as hurt as he obviously was.

Erik sighed. He looked around the room. "It won't do much good to just destroy all this, will it?"

"Hank could repair it," Charles said. 

"I could kill Hank."

"Seems drastic."

Erik turned his head to look at Charles, knowing he looked as open as no one else had seen him since he'd been a kid. "I don't shy away from drastic measures, you should know that." He swallowed. "And there doesn't seem to be much I can think of that I wouldn't do for you."

Charles nodded. He looked like he didn't know what to say. For a telepath, that reaction was surprisingly adorable.

"Of course you could just make me forget this part of the conversation."

Charles smiled the softest smile, his whole expression so full of love it scared Erik even more. "I would never." He watched Erik for a moment, then said, "I don't know what I can tell you. Nobody's ever felt protective of me, I don't know how to react to that."

Erik stored that startling piece of information away for later and shrugged. "You let me take care of you and do exactly as I say and stay out of harm's way and stop doing things when I say to stop them." He smirked slightly to make sure Charles got the joke.

Charles nodded. "I figured. That might prove to be difficult."

"I can't stand seeing you in pain," Erik said and was once more startled by Charles' reaction – he almost looked like he wanted to cry at that.

"Well, believe me, I don't like to be in pain. I'm not suffering from some complex or whatever you might think. I do what I know I can do. Everybody would."

"You know that's bullshit."

"It's the wold I believe in," Charles said and shrugged. 

"That's definitely not part of why I love you," Erik said. It was out too fast for him to panic and he just smirked, seeing the laughter on Charles' face and a moment later he was wrapped in Charles' arms, kissing him.

"We won't agree on this," Charles said, their noses touching.

"No."

"We can both try to learn how to be taken care of and worried over."

"Nothing to be worried about with me," Erik said.

Charles nodded. "I forgot. That is true, of course."

Erik pecked his nose and moved his head to regard him. "You won't promise to not overdo it in here again, will you?"

"No. I have a cause of my own."

Erik nodded. "I respect and resent that."

"All I'm asking," Charles said and kissed him.

"Of course you say you can't not help and it helps me to know you're all right at all times," Erik said when Charles broke the kiss.

"That's emotional blackmail," Charles said,

"Yes." Erik shrugged. "I'm not a good person."

Charles snorted a laugh and leant forward till his forehead touched Erik's. "Does it make you feel different about me?"

"Knowing you're a stubborn idiot?"

"Whatever it is that upset you," Charles said, not looking up.

"No." Erik waited, then added, "Do you want to check if it does?"

"I wouldn't do that."

"I'm offering."

Charles moved away, looking at Erik with a surprised frown. He slipped into Erik's mind like a sudden idea. 

'You scare me,' Charles thought.

'You scare me, too.'

Charles kissed him again.

'Being scared together isn't so bad, though, is it?'

'Never tried it,' Erik thought.

'Me neither, but this feels all right.' Charles deepened the kiss. Erik hugged him tightly, almost lifting him off his feet.

'You know this rule we have about when it's okay for you to read my mind?'

Charles giggled in Erik's head, his hand wandering down Erik's body. 'Yeah?"

'That still stands'

'Among other things.'

Erik laughed, breaking the kiss, but was instantly caught in one by Charles again.

'Remember the first time we did it in here?'

'Vividly,' Erik said, moving Charles forward until he hit the control panel.

'I don't, I think. Remind me.'

'I'll remind you good,' Erik thought and did.

THE END


End file.
